Season Preview: National League East

With Opening Day quickly approaching and 25-man rosters starting to take shape, it seems as good a time as any to start to preview the upcoming season. For a change of pace, I’m going to run with a bit of a different format this year and view things one division at a time.

We’ll cover each division in no particular order. We started with the NL West and then moved on to the AL West. Then we tackled the NL Central. Next up, the NL East.

Top 5 Moves Since Last Season:

1. Washington trades left-hander Tommy Milone, right-handers Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole, and catcher Derek Norris to the Oakland Athletics for left-hander Gio Gonzalez.

2. Miami signs shortstop Jose Reyes to a six year, $106 Million free agent contract. The deal includes a team option for 2018, valued at $22 Million.

3. Miami signs right-hander Heath Bell to a three year, $27 Million free agent contract. The deal includes a vesting option for 2015, valued at $9 Million.

4. Washington signs right-hander Edwin Jackson to a one year, $11 Million free agent contract.

5. Philadelphia signs right-hander Jonathan Papelbon to a four year, $50 Million free agent contract. The deal includes a vesting option for 2016.

Key Acquisitions:

Atlanta (None), Miami (Reyes, Bell, Mark Buehrle), New York (None), Philadelphia (Papelbon), Washington (Gonzalez, Jackson)

Key Losses:

Atlanta (None), Miami (None), New York (Reyes), Philadelphia (None), Washington (Milone, Peacock, Cole)

Predictions:

Cy Young – Jordan Zimmermann (Cole Hamels)

MVP – Jose Reyes (Brian McCann)

Rookie of the Year – Bryce Harper (Julio Teheran)

Standings:

1. Atlanta
2. Washington
3. Philadelphia
4. Miami
5. New York

All Division Team:

Finally, let’s close things out with my pre-2012 All Division Team*. Eligible candidates consist of each team’s projected starter heading into Opening Day. We’ll revisit these lists again once the season concludes.

* Honorable mentions in parentheses.

1B: Freddie Freeman (Gaby Sanchez)

2B: Dan Uggla (Danny Espinosa)

3B: Ryan Zimmerman (Hanley Ramirez)

SS: Jose Reyes (Jimmy Rollins)

LF: Michael Morse (Martin Prado)

CF: Michael Bourn (Shane Victorino)

RF: Giancarlo Stanton (Jason Heyward)

C: Brian McCann (Wilson Ramos)